We’re all familiar with awnings and patio covers. We know that there are a variety of shade structures that we can choose from including drop screens, slide-on-wire awnings, and more. But, what exactly is a pergola? 

​Pergolas can be classy and tasteful when designed and installed correctly. So where do you get one? Your local awning shop can help you find the right pergola or at least educate you a little more on what is best for your shade structure needs.
 
For more information about pergolas, drop screens and awnings, contact American Awning & Blind Co. today. You can also visit us at http://www.americanawningabc.com. You can also call us if you have any questions at 800-654-5933. Or email us at info@americanawningabc.com. 

So what does OSHA mean? The acronym stands for the Occupational Safety, Hazard Administration. OSHA was established in 1971 and oversees workplace safety. You probably know about OSHA because you also have workers’ compensation insurance.
 
For business owners, OSHA requirements can get a little confusing. But, did you know that OSHA provides resources that you can use to help ensure you are in compliance with the most up-to-date requirements? For starters, they have a great Web site at www.osha.gov which you can peruse for downloads and other helpful information.

​A nifty resource is OSHA’s Federal Registers publication. This is a daily publication of Federal notices, rules, and proposed rules, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents as they relate to OSHA. Basically, you can keep posted about OSHA’s regulations. Here’s the link:
https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owasrch.search_form?p_doc_type=FEDERAL_REGISTER&p_toc_level=1&p_keyvalue=Date_of_Publication
 
Also, if you’re wondering what the employer’s responsibilities are, OSHA has a resource you can use at this link: https://www.osha.gov/as/opa/worker/employer-responsibility.html. OSHA also provides resources that include:
 

• Consultation – OSHA provides free and confidential services to help you improve your health and safety programs and correct hazards.
• Instruction – OSHA also provides training classes/courses. For class locations visit http://www.osha.gov/dte/edcenters/index.html.
• Publications – various resources that you can get online at www.osha.gov.
• Partnership – OSHA works with employers and employees to help eliminate serious workplace hazards and obtain a high level of worker safety and health.

 
So why should you bother keeping up with OSHA requirements? Well, remember, OSHA conducts unannounced inspections. (Here’s a link to their OSHA Inspections Fact Sheet: https://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/factsheet-inspections.pdf).
 
If you’re found in violation you will be issued citations and possibly fines. Those fines and penalties range from $7,000 for each serious violation and up to $70,000 for each willful or repeated violation. So you see, it’s definitely worthwhile to keep up with OSHA requirements. After all, it’s all about safety and keeping your business open.
 
For more information about OSHA visit https://www.osha.gov. For more information about shade structures, drop screens and awnings, contact American Awning & Blind Co. today. You can also visit us at http://www.americanawningabc.com. You can also call us if you have any questions at 800-654-5933. Or email us at info@americanawningabc.com. 

​Did you know that you can expand your business’ footprint without having to buy more land? In fact, most of us forget that utilizing our outdoor space is an excellent way to create more revenue generating areas of your business. This especially applies to restaurants.

According to the National Restaurant Association the restaurant industry is set to cook up $783 billion in revenue in 2016. What does this mean? For restaurants, business is growing. A creative way to help capture some of these sales is to expand your seating area. Remember, the more seats you have the more revenue you generate. For example if you have a 200 seat capacity and generate $15 per seated person, you’re looking at $3,000 in gross income. But what if you could add 25 more seats? 

​If you could expand your seating area with an outdoor dining area with 15 or 25 more seats you’re adding a significant increase in revenue. Let’s say you added 25 more seats with an average $15 check per person seated; you’ve just added a potential $375 in revenue from your outdoor seating area! Multiply that by every day your restaurant is open and that is the potential extra revenue you can generate with outdoor dining areas.

And or businesses that are not restaurants, remember utilizing your outdoor space to attract new clientele is as easy as setting up an awning with graphics. For hotels, using creative shade sails for lounge areas, walkways and pool areas helps create an outdoor experience guests will remember and want to come back to again and again.

For more information about shade structures, drop screens and awnings, contact us today. You can also visit us at http://www.americanawningabc.com. You can also call us if you have any questions at 800-654-5933. Or email us at info@americanawningabc.com. 

Awnings and patio covers are great accents for any business. But did you know you have other options? Shade sails are an excellent, creative, and aesthetically pleasing way to accent your business and give it a sense of style and flare that stands out from the crowd.
 
So how do shade sails differ from an awning? Traditional awnings are connected to your home or building and can be retractable. These awnings provide shade just like shade sails. However, shade sails are constructed using poles to create tension in the fabric. The structure of the shade sail looks like a boat’s sail, thus the name. Shade sails can be layered and constructed using creative ideas and designs. (See below for photos).

Shade sails can be used to accent your business’ open area, like an outdoor lounge space. They can also be used to cover an outdoor display area and even on playgrounds. Here is a quick list of areas you can use shade sails for your business:
 

• Walkways
• Playgrounds
• Gardens
• Lounge Areas
• Pool Areas
• Decks
• Dining Areas
• Tennis Courts
• Parking Lots

​Shade sails are basically the more creative version of your traditional awning. You can use various patterns to accent your building’s design or even use a color or pattern that goes with your products and services.
 
Shade sails are beautiful to look at and are a great way to attract the attention of customers and even impress potential business partners. Remember, in order to catch the attention of a potential buyer, you have to be creative, innovative, and willing to go the extra mile. Putting up something like a shade sail or an awning with graphics is one way to do that. 

​For more information about shade sails, awnings and other shade structures, contact us today. You can also visit us at http://www.americanawningabc.com. You can also call us if you have any questions at 800-654-5933. Or email us at info@americanawningabc.com.